I'm a writer of historical fiction.

Writing Saxon stories and Tales of Mercia, with the odd 20th century historical mystery just so my characters can drive instead of riding a horse🐴😂

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And the reviews keep coming. I know not every author reads their reviews, but I do (and yes, even the 'bad' ones). Of course, it's delightful to share the really good ones with readers. Thank you to my very loyal readers who keep coming. back for more. I know who you are:) If you've not started the series yet, I do recommend starting with Son of Mercia, but hey, I don't mind if you jump straight in with book 9. Why not? I do stuff like that all the time. I just hope you enjoy meeting young Icel, wherever you start your journey. #HistoricalFiction #TheEagleofMerciaChronicles #YoungIcel

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I think we all have favourite audiobook narrators. Aside from the narrators of my own books (and I honestly tell people that Antonia Beamish, who narrates Meddi in the Dark Age Chronicles, terrifies me), I also adore Indira Varma's narration of the Witches in Discworld. I listen to them on constant repeat. AND, more importantly, this helped me answer a quiz question on Friday night about which Shakespeare play doesn't have a ghost in it. But I love audiobooks for allowing me to relisten to my favourite stories when I am busy doing other things (and very importantly, for getting me through those horrible middle-of-the-night moments when I wake up with my characters misbehaving in my mind, and I can use my fav audios to banish my characters for a little while). #AudioBookMonth #BoldwoodBooks #ReadBoldly #GoAllIn

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Discussion time..... As you know (obviously), I read all of my book reviews, and there is a new one that says that releasing this book has restricted the actions of the fab Icel in the earlier two series. I am super curious about this. Do you think it has? I mean, I've known where The Last King books would go for a long time AND, I do have a story that needs to culminate at some point in The Eagle of Mercia series, and so I don't believe I have aside from, obvs, The Last King was given that title for a very good reason. Hit me with your thoughts....I want to know what you, my readers, think (and another obviously - if you know me, you probably know why I ended up writing this book out of order, anyway). #AuthorQuestion #BeHonestIDon'tBite

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#OnThisDayInHistory The death of King Alfred's daughter, Ælfthryth, wife of Count Baldwin of Flanders. While she might have married away from Saxon England, her sons were allies of King Æthelstan....well, they were until they weren't. Read about Ælfthryth in my first non-fiction title. https://books2read.com/TheRoyalWomenWhoMadeEngland #TheRoyalWomenWhoMadeEngland #TheTenthCentury #NonFiction

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My 1930s mystery set at #Cragside is on sale on #Kobo AU/NZ for the next 2 weeks. Love classic Golden-Age mystery stories? This one is for you. Can Lady Merryweather clear her name before the murderer strikes again? https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/cragside #BookBargain #Mystery #HistoricalMystery #AU #NZ

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#TheFirstQueen is currently on sale over on #Kobo You can grab the first book in the LAdy Elfrida trilogy for 99p/$1.49 in the UK/US/CA This was my first foray into the women of the tenth century and what I discovered was astonishing. What began as a love story became so much more. Enjoy. #BookBargain #historicalfiction #HistoricalRomance

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I’m sharing my review for a delightful cozy mystery, set in France, The Fatal Farandole by Ana T Drew #cozymystery #bookreview Here’s the blurb The Fatal Farandole is a cozy mystery full of plot twists and small-town secrets. It’s perfect for fans of character-driven crime novels with emotional depth. A beloved Provençal festival. A murderous conspiracy. A bullfighter who knows too much. When two local chefs are killed within a week, shockwaves ripple through the region’s tight-knit culinary world. Suspicion lands squarely on baker Julie Cavallo. As whispers turn to accusations, her eccentric family closes ranks, and her loyal friends rally to her side. But Julie’s running out of time. Her pastry shop is at risk. Her love life is unraveling. The gendarmes are tracking her every move. Julie can’t afford to wait for the official investigation to uncover the truth. Her instincts go into overdrive. Dots connect. Patterns appear… Can Julie make it through this case, when asking the right questions has already gotten others killed? Purchase Links https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F749KMMK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F749KMMK My Review The Fatal Farandole is the latest release in this cozy mystery series. As it’s book 9, it did take me a while to get to know the characters. And although I’m never one to say you have to read a series in order, perhaps on this occasion, it might help to start with the first book, especially as the new mystery is so good. We begin straight away with our character in a tricky situation and the story unfolds quickly from there, as we learn what’s happening, alongside our main character. There is much discussion of food and mysteries and I look forward to going back to the beginning with this engaging and well-written mystery. Meet the author Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind a recent string of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. A first-place winner of the Chanticleer MYSTERY & MAYHEM Awards, her books have been released in several languages, both independently and through traditional houses, including HarperCollins France and Straarup & Co. When she’s not plotting mysteries, Ana can be found perfecting her low-carb cookie recipes or watching The Rookie to cope with the void left by Castle. Ana lives in Paris with her husband and their dog, but her heart resides in Provence. https://www.ana-drew.com Facebook Goodreads Giveaway to Win a boxset of the three books in the Provence Mysteries Series (Open INT)  Win a boxset of the three books in the Provence Mysteries Series (Open INT) https://gleam.io/W5YAJ/win-a-boxset-of-the-three-books-in-the-provence-mysteries-series-open-int *Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize. Posts Stay up to date with the latest from our blog. I’m sharing my review for a delightful cozy mystery, set in France, The Fatal Farandole by Ana T Drew #cozymystery #bookreview historical fiction I’m sharing my review for Death of a Fugitive, the second book in John Pilkington’s Elizabethan mysteries featuring Matthew Cutler #histfic #historicalmystery #bookreview Elizabethan · historical fiction · Historical Mystery · murder mystery · Mystery I’m welcoming Nicola Harris to the blog with her new novel, Infidel #InfidelTheDaughtersOfAragon #NicolaHarris #CatherineOfAragon #HistoricalFiction #TudorHistory #BookTour #BlogTour #...

I'm sharing my review for a delightful cozy mystery, set in France, The Fatal Farandole by Ana T Drew #cozymystery #bookreview

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I don't always hang out in Saxon England:) Sometimes even I go 'almost' modern. Check out my historical mystery, set in 1943 and inspired by a set of adverts run by Birds Custard in the 1940s, 50s and 60s (I know - how weird). I adored writing this mystery a few years ago, and it's so much fun to continue this series. Thank you, readers, for loving it as much as me. Not discovered it yet? It's available in ebook, hardback, paperback and audio. #historicalmystery #TheErdingtonMysteries

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While my stories are almost all set in Saxon England, each series has a different focus and you will meet a variety of characters (some interlinked) along the way. Check out my Saxon stories and pick where you want to begin your journey to the past.... #MJPortersSaxonStories #ReadingSuggestions #TheEagleofMerciaChronicles #TheLastKing #MenOfIron

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Can't get enough MJ Porter news? Then follow me on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub OR join one of my two mailing lists (might soon be three TBH). https://BookHip.com/MGWHLDC (all) https://BookHip.com/THPKCKP (mysteries only) #AuthorFollow #Newsletters #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalMysteries

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I love a classic Golden-Age mystery, and so, a few years ago, I wrote one and set it at my favourite country estate in Northumberland. I hope you will love it too:) Country house setting ✅ Everyone's a suspect ✅ Historical setting ✅ Can the obvious suspect clear her name with the aid of her dashing chauffeur? www.books2read.com/Cragside-a-1930s #MurderMystery #HistoricalMystery

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It's time for my May update. May is always a tricky time for me, as I don't write full-time during May, and this year has been no different. I've remained busy, working on 758 and Dragonbound, and I've also managed to start a short story I need to write. I had hoped to find time to work on my next mystery, but not yet. It's looking like it'll be a July project at the moment. So, I've been in eighth century Mercia, on my fantastical world from the Ice and Fire series, and even spending a little bit of time in September 1066. Watch this space for more news. Happy reading. #AuthorUpdate #MayWriting #TheEagleWIllRise #TheHouseOfMercia #TheWorldOfIceAndFire

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The Eagle Will Rise has nearly been in the wild for a month. Thank you to everyone who's snapped up my latest adventure. I know it's made a lot of people eager for the next Coelwulf book, and I promise to get back to him when I can, but for now, enjoy this journey through the eyes of Rudolf - a fabulous character to use in this way (and I admit, one I very quickly realised I could employ to tell my readers later events in the history of Mercia). Enjoy and thank you:) #TheEagleWillRise #NewBookRelease #TheTalesOfMercia

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When readers ask about my inspiration for writing The Curstard Corpses, I don't think they quite anticipate my answer - a series of adverts - from the 1940s, 50s and 60s - yep, I know it's weird:) And the 2nd, 3rd and 4th books in the series? Equally odd..... And I think with a background story like that, you should check out my 1940s mysteries:) #HistoricalMysteries #AuthorInspiration

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Who do we love? Coelwulf. Why do we love him? Because we can (oh, and he says things we would never dream of saying). Share your favourite Coelwulf quote/moment with me? #TheLastKing #TalesOfMercia #CharacterQuotes

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Sometimes, you just have to share the historical details behind those fictional recreations. The royal women of the tenth century, not all of them 'written out' of the narrative of England's tenth century, because some were genuinely 'lost' within two lifetimes, were a fascinating group of women, who I strongly believe, shored up the House of Wessex as it grew to dominance, and suffered tragedy after tragedy as their male counterparts died too young. Check out my first non-fiction title. https://books2read.com/TheRoyalWomenWhoMadeEngland #TheRoyalWomenWhoMadeEngland #TheTenthCentury #NonFiction

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It's been a busy few months. As usual, the first few chapters are always joyous to write, and then I actually have to make my characters and story behave. However, as I said to my editor, I found the first half of the book really challenging to edit, and the second half much easier. It's often the way. There is always some pain to endure when writing a new book. Watch this space for more updates, and don't forget to check out the first book in the series, 757, which will be with readers in July. Yay. #TheHouseOfMercia #WritingUpdate #HistoricalFiction